Supreme Court constitutes two more bar council election tribunals headed by Justices Deepak Gupta and Hima Kohli

The Supreme Court on Monday constituted two new election tribunals headed by former Supreme Court Justices Deepak Gupta and Hima Kohli to adjudicate disputes arising from the ongoing State Bar Council elections.

The order was passed by a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi in a batch of petitions challenging election disputes across various State Bar Councils.

These two tribunals will be in addition to an already existing tribunal headed by Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia.

"In addition to the existing election tribunals, we hereby constitute two more tribunals," the bench recorded in its order passed on Monday.

The tribunal chaired by Justice Deepak Gupta will comprise of Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur (former Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court) and Senior Advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani as members.

The tribunal headed by Justice Kohli will have Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan (former Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court) and Senior Advocate Kaveeta Wadia as members.

The Bar Council of India was directed to obtain formal consent from all members and notify the constitution of the tribunals within three days. Aggrieved parties have liberty to submit their claims before the respective tribunals.

All State Bar Councils were directed to keep election records intact until the disputes are finally resolved.

Earlier in the hearing, BCI Chairman and Senior Advocate Manan Kumar Mishra had requested the bench to constitute a high-powered election supervisory committee similar to the existing one headed by former Supreme Court Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, to oversee bar council election disputes.

The hearing also saw a sharp exchange between Mishra and Senior Advocate Kumud Lata Das, who appeared for the petitioners.

Das said that BCI representative should not be made a member of the committee.

Mishra responded that it was "very very bad."

Das was unsparing.

"Don't raise your voice against me. You only want to make the women members subservient to you. Please don't shout at me. You are virtually a permanent chairman from 2010 to 2026. You are the only one who can become the BCI Chairman," she said.

Mishra termed the remarks as "absurd allegations."

Das subsequently clarified that her remarks were not directed at Mishra personally, noting that since both hail from the same State, such heated exchanges are not uncommon between them. Mishra accepted the clarification in good spirit.

As the hearing drew to a close, the CJI remarked that both counsel had contributed immensely to the important issue of the conduct of bar council elections.

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[Read Order]